Optical sources and transmitters for optical telecommunications

A pulsed waveband incoherent light source for generating a pulsed spectrally designed signal, said light source comprising:

• an optical fiber having a backward and a forward propagation direction, a gain medium being provided therein;
• a pump source coupled to the optical fiber for injecting pump radiation in the gain medium, thereby enabling the generation by the gain medium of a broadband light signal, at least a portion of said broadband light signal propagating in the backward direction;
• a wavelength dependent reflector coupled to the optical fiber for reflecting a portion of the backward propagating broadband light signal into a spectrally designed signal propagating in the forward direction, said spectrally designed signal having a plurality of peak wavebands;
• and
• a pulsing amplitude modulator coupled to the optical fiber backwards of the gain medium for pulsing the spectrally designed signal.

An optical transmitter for transmitting data in a spectrally designed light signal, the transmitter comprising:

• an optical fiber having a backward and a forward propagation direction, a gain medium being provided therein;
• a pump source coupled to the optical fiber for injecting pump radiation in the gain medium, thereby enabling the generation by the gain medium of a broadband light signal, at least a portion of said broadband light signal propagating in the backward direction;
• an amplitude modulator coupled to the optical fiber backward of the gain medium for modulating an amplitude of the broadband light signal in accordance with said data;
• and
• a wavelength dependent reflector coupled to the amplitude modulator to receive therefrom the modulated broadband light signal, the wavelength dependent reflector reflecting said modulated broadband light signal into peak wavebands defining said spectrally designed light signal.

An optical transmitter array for transmitting a plurality of data in a multiplexed plurality of spectrally designed light signals, said transmitter comprising:

• a plurality of optical transmitter, each comprising:
• a length of optical fiber having a backward and a forward propagation direction, a gain medium being provided therein, said gain medium generating a broadband light signal upon pumping thereof, at least a portion of said broadband light signal propagating in the backward direction;
• an amplitude modulator coupled to the optical fiber backward of the gain medium for modulating an amplitude of the broadband light signal in accordance with corresponding data;
• and
• an wavelength dependent reflector coupled to the amplitude modulator to receive therefrom the modulated broadband light signal, the wavelength dependent reflector reflecting said modulated broadband light signal into peak wavebands defining one of said spectrally designed light signals;
• the transmitter array further comprising:
• a pump source for injecting pump radiation into the gain medium of each optical transmitter;
• an output for outputting the multiplexed plurality of spectrally designed light signals;
• and
• a bi-directional coupling sub-assembly for respectively:
• along the backward direction, splitting the pump radiation into a plurality of pump radiation portions, and injecting each of said pump radiation portions into the length of optical fiber of one of the optical transmitter to pump the corresponding gain medium;
• and
• along the forward direction, multiplexing the spectrally designed light signals from each of the optical transmitters to obtain the multiplexed plurality of spectrally designed light signals, and directing the same towards the output.

An optical transmitter array for transmitting a plurality of data in a multiplexed plurality of waveband light signals, said transmitter array comprising:

• an optical fiber having a backward and a forward propagation direction, a gain medium being provided therein;
• a pump source coupled to the optical fiber for injecting pump radiation in the gain medium, thereby enabling the generation by the gain medium of a broadband light signal, at least a portion of said broadband light signal propagating in the backward direction;
• a plurality of amplitude modulators coupled to the optical fiber backward of the gain medium for receiving therefrom a waveband light signal and modulating an amplitude thereof in accordance with corresponding data;
• and
• a wavelength division multiplexer connected to the optical fiber backward of the optical fiber for receiving therefrom the broadband light signal, said wavelength division multiplexer having a plurality of ports each coupled to one of the amplitude modulators, the wavelength division multiplexer transmitting one waveband light signal of the broadband light signal to each of said port and receiving therefrom said waveband light signal after modulation, the wavelength division multiplexer further multiplexing the waveband light signals into the multiplexed waveband light signal and coupling the same back into the optical fiber.